This final short film about our journey around the world has been an (intensive) labor of love. The movie is about Time, and how weird and ridiculously valuable time is. Time, it turns out, was the real gift we gave ourselves: One year to be alone together discovering the world. In this time, we discovered how little we truly knew about the world, we made friends, gained confidence, refreshed our creativity, saw things we could only dream of, and our whole family grew a hell of a lot closer in the process. What a year.
RTW365 explores the concept of time in a different way. As you probably observed, Mark shot a “moving image” — either on his 5D or his iPhone — every single day of our journey. This film takes one second from each day and strings them all together. When we watch this mind-bending mash-up — our personal Around The World In 365 seconds — we are instantly transported back to the experience of the trip. The feeling of openness and adventure and discovery and togetherness. It’s incredible how the days really did seem to move past in seconds, and the best year of our life — while it seemed long while we were living it (to paraphrase Finn) — seems like it flew by in minutes.We suppose it’s fitting that the song we happened to chose for this film is called “Time” by The Mowgli’s. Franny introduced us to this band (as she’s our Commissioner of Music). When it came up on Mark’s playlist and he heard the lyrics — “I don’t like time /Time is making me old / But I’m doing alright / ‘Cause I will still be young tomorrow” — well, some things just belong together.
It’s a funny thing about time and songs actually. The Mowgli’s song “Time” runs only three-and-a-half minutes, but 365 seconds equals a little over six minutes, so we had a creative dilemma. Do we play the song twice? Do we transition to another song? Then we came up with the best possible solution. We convinced Franny to cover the song so when we played it a second time it had her voice. Chad Fischer, the composer on our film “Little Manhattan,” generously helped put together the track, and it seemed very fitting that our Year To Think should end with Franny, now fourteen, standing in a sound booth in Chad’s backyard recording studio singing about time.
Thank you for coming on this journey to with us. We were shocked by how much we enjoyed sharing it with all of you. We’re generally private folk, but knowing we had friends and followers who cared about our journey and enjoyed it with us — you were a powerful warm wind at our backs. The trip was made more special for knowing we had so many friends with us all along the way.
Now we’re home and time still moves forward at its unique speed and we’re now working on the big riddle. How do we carry our Year To Think with us? How do we embody the spirit of the trip — the openness, and creativity, and sense of adventure — in each day of our lives? As we get the answers, we’ll share them with you — along with a few films.
Deep appreciation,
Mark, Jen, Franny & Finn
WOW! I am speechless. Incredible.
Awesome. LOVED hearing Franny…not surprising that she is quite a talented young woman… I miss hearing from you and following your adventures…love to all.
Love.
Loved you short film…so talented…when and where will your next adventure take you?
Franny got her ears pierced?
No, really, just amazing.
Thank you so much for the indelible images.
Fantastic. The film and Franny.
Amelia says: “Can we watch another one?”
Incredible. Just watched it twice! Franny is awesome.
What a year – you packed in a lifetime. The video is unique and it left our souls vibrating long after it ends. P.S. Franny sings beautifully!
Wow wow wow, and felt like been in those places mysel with you. I loved loved loved Franny’s cover I’m I’m Japan right now, with my pals eating our way through Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Mitch is in England France Italy with his brother. And we will be young tomorrow too. Thank you so much for this. I’ll probably watch it every night here after the sake bars close.
Gorgeous!
As always I am so blown away by your whole experience!!! I think you almost hit every corner and then some, of the earth! And the music with Franny was so perfect!!!! Such a life changing year for all of you… Thanks again for sharing!
Watched it twice…compelling. What a gift you have given yourselves and your friends.
WOW! Thrilled to receive another film from you. I love Franny’s rendition of the song, such a beautiful voice. What an amazing way to encapsulate your journey. I can only imagine how your global adventure is impacting your current year. xo
Incredible except the boys noted that you should have started and ended in BEL AIR!
Thank you SO SO SO much! This has been a beautiful year and I am so grateful you shared it with us; it was a generous act. I have loved each one of your little films and they have given me lots of joy.
And this “finale”, with Franny’s wonderful voice… you have outdone yourselves.
To me, you have been an example on how to live, as a family, come up with your dream, and live it.
Thanks again. Waiting for you in Uruguay…
I am a friend of the Gretsch’s– they turned me on to your site and I have been following and so moved. Thanks for all this.
Quite possibly the coolest, most awesome personal experience that anyone could have, where the benefits in creating positive change in others lives radiates far and wide, and we are all richer for being able to share it. We pause, we think, we create our own change just by watching these. Thank you.
Bravo et à bientôt !
All this time we have felt like close friends, and our village still misses you. Soon to see ?
Profoundly wonderful. Genius little film. The whole world in six minutes. You have been an inspiration to us on every step of your journey.
Thanks for the day “279” we lived together!
isn’t that just the best thing to say….Dimitrios “thanks for the day we lived together”!!!!
Wow, what a discipline, editing all of those experiences into 6 minutes.
AND FRAN! OMG!!! New career on the horizon, you sound amazing. Lovely to see you guys again, beautiful images, wonderful emotion. xxx to you all.
Kate, Sydney.
Magnificent. I have loved being a witness to your year of adventure. The unlimited creativity has been inspirational. Franny and Finn have grown in front of us all. Loved the singing; loved Finn’s narrations along the way, and have so enjoyed the films and commentaries. Thanks for all of it.
Batya
I’m glad you’re home, but sad your trip is over. Beautiful film. So many happy memories for you. How will you ever recover?
xox
What can I say? I am fahklempt. Franny, your voice is exquisite; the film is perfect. I have watched it, and teared up each time. I love to look back on the videos, and this one is a beautiful work all of its own. Kudos to Dimitrios too.
Have never met you all. Don’t know you except from these exquisite films. Began to follow you after an Andrew Sullivan post at the outset of your journey.
Despite lack of personal knowledge of your family — and though I am a stranger to you all — you have touched me deeply and inspired OUR family to “dream a little bigger”.
Well done.
DH
San Antonio, TX
Wow. Jen, you have lived lifetimes since we last spoke…what a pleasure to see a bit of your world as it is now! Such an amazing experience you and your husband have gifted to your family. I wish for you all continued love and success!
Magnificent. I have loved being a witness to your year of adventure. The unlimited creativity has been inspirational.
—Batya
Despite lack of personal knowledge of your family — and though I am a stranger to you all — you have touched me deeply and inspired OUR family to “dream a little bigger”.
—DH
The gratitude of being invited to tag along for a “year of adventure”. The inspiration to “dream a little bigger”. I share these sentiments with others who have commented here.
However, as one of the older members of your peanut gallery, and one who has experienced a little more passage of “time” than many here, I was intrigued by your comments about “time” and the questions you ask about it.
“Time” is such a mystery. Even Finn, with his wise and perceptive statements about “time”—seeming long when it’s happening, but then seeming short in retrospect, do not capture the entire meaning of “time”. And if Finn can’t nail it, neither can I.
All I might venture here is to say is that by watching the full year of your RTW trip from the sidelines then and seeing this 6 minute movie, I was struck with the notion that “time” is presented to us all as a gift, which we have the opportunity to use as we are able. We are all consumers of time. But how do we use this precious gift—to work, to play, to love, to enjoy? Or do we struggle and strain, only to suffer through indignities and be miserable with our half-empty glasses?
Your family used the past year as a “Year to Think”. But as you did your thinking, you traveled around the world with open eyes, eating, drinking (coffee) and being merry. Perhaps this is the small and simple lesson I learned about the larger riddle of “time” from being a part of your RTW Year: “Time” is a wonderous gift to be fully enjoyed in the moment…and then cherished when it’s over. Like a song. Like a trip. LIke a life.
Then of course….there is Franny singing. She kills me.
#1FANNY
What a year! I do not think anyone can match what you four just did. Grow younger with a passing year.
Bravo! And please, may I suggest two things? One, I would love to see a copy of your passports (may be an electronic version where I flip the pages myself and see the stamps? You guys are so talented, this would be nothing to you.)
And second, please make a DVD available for us to purchase online – your camera and music choices over the last year were so impressive, I was going to ask for this once your trip is over.
Congratulations on doing this! And looking forward to see Franny and her singing going mainstream.
Just seen these new clips ! I must say brings …solace to the soul… Wonderful ,
All our love from the Emerald Isle
The Mervyns !
Just had to watch your short film again – what a trip it was, how re and what are you all doing a year one?